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The Secret
Genre: Documentary
Rated: n/a
Starring: Jack Canfield, The Miracle Man, John Gray
Directed
by: Drew Heriot
Released by: Drew Pictures
In
Short: Imagine the makers of "The Da Vinci Code" and "What the Bleep Do We Know?" had gotten together to create an infomercial for self-help on steroids. |
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Self Help Schlock
What The Bleep?
by
Sylvie Greil
"The Secret," for those of you who have somehow missed out on this cultural/cultish video phenomenon sweeping the country, is an inane, 91-minute piece of pop spirituality. At first it washed through spiritual urban communities (where people do yoga workshops and go to breathing circles), then it began brainwashing daytime television audiences thanks to Oprah. And now it seems everyone is talking about this “fantastic” new Internet movie (that you can download for $4.95 from www.thesecret.tv) about getting rich and getting everything you want!
It’s big. Very big. Should you watch it? Well, yes, we don’t want you to miss out on your opportunity to manifest a house in the Hamptons or think up a Hummer. But honestly, “The Secret" is almost unbearable to watch, epitomizing everything narcissistic, superficial and stupid about the times we live in. It. Insults. Our. Intelligence.
Imagine if the makers of "The Da Vinci Code" and "What the Bleep Do We Know?" had gotten together to create an infomercial for self-help on steroids. “The Secret” is so clichéd and banal, its production values so low, its “scientific” graphics, dramatic score and dramatized editing so cheesy, that the packaging gets in the way of what’s actually a pretty cool message on the surface. And it’s really too bad, because the message is worth hearing: You have the power to create your own reality and get anything from life you want, whether it’s good health, a Tiffany’s tennis bracelet or your dream home.
According to "The Secret," the universe functions by the law of attraction, which means that you manifest what you think about. In other words, your thoughts and feelings create your life. Einstein and the Buddha have put this more eloquently, but the self-help gurus of this movie think that the average person is too dense to get this complicated theory. Quantum physics is for the pros; give the masses magical thinking.
There are some nice "case stories" like the one about a man who learned to walk again after a devastating plane crash. There’s a dying child who got some “gratitude rocks” and got well. There’s a hot Hollywood type who couldn’t find a date until he met a Feng Shui mistress. There’s a vague, blonde woman who "lost everything," then "gained everything" after finding the secret. And there are the experts: The author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. The creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. An "internationally known Feng Shui Master" you never heard of. Good, trustworthy company!
So do watch "The Secret" if you want to take part in the discussion, but keep in mind that it’s ultra-schlocky. And if you’re working on your enlightenment, don’t forget that the rewards promised herein are of a completely materialistic nature. Then take a yoga class to get the yuck out of your system.
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